Thor axis Rv class A?

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rvhunter

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I have been looking into the Thor axis. this will be my first rv. Aything bad about this? whats a good offer i should make? show price was 80k. TY
http://axis-motorhomes.com/

Also, im am looking for a small rv (since its my first and driving may be an issue). Im mostly going to go camping with it for 2-3 nights. (2-8 hours away from home) and plan to hit up Alaska or somewhere up north at least once every year. I have rented class c rvs couple times but the over head bed bothered me a bit when i was driving. I looked into the coachmen concord (no overhead bed) but the axis' interior seemed larger and driving it looked easier.

The 27 gulfstream may be a bit too big for me... 
 
Hi and Welcome to the group!! ;D

This is a brand new model and I am quite underwhelmed (unimpressed) with it. Maybe after a few people have tried it out while camping and left comments I might change my mind. The first thing that struck me was the bedroom and wall to wall bed, impossible to make up, no access from the sides etc. and it looks a bit like a bread truck. Make sure you discuss this point with the homemaker!!! The major selling point seems to be it's towing capacity. Why? Certainly isn't made for  the snowbird lifestyle they mentioned with that rather cramped interior. The 27 foot class B Gulfstream B Touring has a much better layout and slides  for that price point. Then again, I don't like Gulfstream's up and down quality control either so I declined to buy it too.

JMHO, but I would not even consider it at this point. It might work fine for you but, since this a first for you, I would suggest you continue looking at both new AND used units while leaving your check book at home, and get a better idea of floor plans and layouts that make sense for you. A livable floor plan is everything....
 
My class A is 32' which is considered small by some, but seemed very big when I first drove it.  My biggest problem was I tried to drive it like my family car.  I found out very quickly that it doesn't drive the same.  I always give myself plenty of space between the the car in front of me, and I keep the speed down.  I set my cruse control at 57mph when I'm towing or not towing.  I maybe a little slow for some people, but so far I always get where I'm going.  I look forward to getting out on the road even in Southern California, but I will admit it is a relief once I get out of California. 
 
It's a brand new model, so no real feedback on quality, issues, etc.

Any 24 foot RV is going to be somewhat cramped, but that's a personal choice of size vs comfort. Have you looked at similar size rigs, e.g. Winnebago Via or Trend, Thor ACE 27, etc?
 
We were also unimpressed with the Axis or the Vegas models. If you're looking for a RV under 32' you might want to check out the Forest River FR3, Thor A.C.E. 30.1, or the Winnebago Vista 31KE.
We looked at all 3 and came away more impressed with with the FR3.

Good luck
 
rvhunter said:
I have been looking into the Thor axis. this will be my first rv. Aything bad about this? whats a good offer i should make? show price was 80k. TY
http://axis-motorhomes.com/

Also, im am looking for a small rv (since its my first and driving may be an issue). Im mostly going to go camping with it for 2-3 nights. (2-8 hours away from home) and plan to hit up Alaska or somewhere up north at least once every year. I have rented class c rvs couple times but the over head bed bothered me a bit when i was driving. I looked into the coachmen concord (no overhead bed) but the axis' interior seemed larger and driving it looked easier.

The 27 gulfstream may be a bit too big for me...
I saw one at a recent RV show, and if you don't want to spend twice as much on some of the smaller class B van conversions (you did say 27' was probably too large?) that are even more cramped inside, I'd consider it. It's got a lot of nice features, including a fiberglass roof, lots of towing capacity (got a toad?), plenty of storage with pass thrus, a power raise/lower forward cab bunkie, another hide a bed/dinette in the slide, a bathroom that opens into a change room, among others, and the price may be more than reasonable. It's shorter in height and length than a typical class A on the bus chassis, so it should be a little more nimble in traffic and places where size is a restriction, and it should get much better fuel economy (estimate 10-13mpg) using gasoline in a relatively light vehicle. The Triton V10 is rated at over 400 lbs/ft of torque at around 3,500 rpms, so it's got power to spare. The one I saw at the show had a sale price of around US$65,000, and I've seen them listed at around US$71,000 online. I think it looks like a lot of coach for the money, compared to many other options that are under 26' long. I think 2 people could snow bird comfortably in one, but that's JMO.
 
Hi MDKMDK,

Just a note. This subject hasn't been posted in for about 16 months so you may not get a responce from the previous poster. I am glad you posted here though. I like this RV myself and I am giving it some serious consideration. What I like about it is: low profile to the ground, doesn't have the larger tires that a "A" class has. Seem to have better gas milage. If your towing you might only get about 9 or 10 mpg. I think it would handle the mountains fairly well. You might not go up as fast but I think it would be safe in most situations. The driver and passenger chairs in front can swivel around and be used as part of your living space, I like the look better than a Class C. Price is right. What I am concern about is a new product so no track record yet. I just figure that it is made by a large well liked manufacturer and should be a good bet. Wish they would have come out with these a couple of year back so I could have bought a slightly used one and saved some depreciation.
 
As far as track record goes, not every new model is flawed, or perfect, but it's something to think about.
I think the basic chassis, and engine/drive train, have both been in use for a while in other applications, so I think they would be OK. I'm not sure how they modified the drive train when they lengthened the frame/chassis, so I have questions about that, and some other engineering (apparently they also narrowed the frame closer to the front) and chassis performance type stuff. I don't see an inverter mentioned as being standard or optional, and I would like to have one or add one, for smaller draw applications off the grid.
The other issue for me is where to actually look one over for more than a few minutes, without being trampled in the process, and finding the absolute best price on one (or the Vegas model, it's twin). RV Shows are a great way to get a quick look at something, but they're usually too chaotic. I'd like to go over an interesting product more thoroughly, with someone with some factory based knowledge, and see what does and doesn't work for us. No one near me has either an Axis or Vegas in stock to look at. I had thought about driving to the factory, and taking a tour. I'm only a couple hundred miles from Elkhart near Port Huron, MI.
I had also thought about waiting a while, to see how they shake down, and see if I might find a gently used one after "the season", that didn't work out for someone else (too big, too small, too whatever) at a better price. That might be hard if they catch on like I think they will. I see them being popular with couples or small families, that need more room than a class B, in something better equipped and at a much better initial price. 
You're in Indiana? Where would you think you'd get the best price on one of these rigs? Are there any places close to the factory that you'd buy from? Ohio seems to have lots of dealers, maybe there? For the right price, I'd be willing to travel more than a few hundred miles.
 
I would be concerned about that. In my opinion, the E350 is short on weight capacity(12,500 lb GVWR)  for a 26 foot rig. They don't give an unladen weight in the Axis specs, but with a couple people and a tank of water it has to be pushing the limit. I would look closely at the OCCC (occupant and cargo capacity rating) to see if it is adequate. Most newbies seriously underestimate the amount of weight they will put onboard.
 
Maybe. That's why I want to speak to someone about which chassis was used, and the frame and drive train mods they've done to make it all work. I found a website that suggests they've lengthened the frame and narrowed it slightly towards the front to improve handling and stability. The base truck E350 chassis GVWR is rated at around 10,000# to 14,500# from the factory, and Thor say they've pushed it to a GVWR of around 12,500#, probably without people, cargo, and fluids. So, it's somewhere in the middle of the factory weight range, as far as I can tell. I would not want to try to pull that much weight with the 5.4L Triton. It would have to be the 6.8L V10. The E350 commercial truck cutaway chassis offers both. If that's what Thor has used. Can't find that specific info, they just say E350. If they've used the cutaway van chassis, I think the specs are still acceptable, as it shows a GCWR minimum of 15,000#, going up to a maximum of 18,500#. I think they used the truck chassis. These are the questions that need to be addressed. 
The Axis brochure says 12,500# GVWR and 18,500 GCWR. No specifics about the chassis model.
 
Thor say they've pushed it to a GVWR of around 12,500#, probably without people, cargo, and fluids.

Be careful - you are mixing ratings with actual loads and combined weight with truck-only. See the RV Forum Library Glossary for definitions and explanations of the terms.

GVWR is the rated maximum gross weight, regardless of if or how it is loaded. The vehicle itself plus anything and everything you might carry in it or on it, whether people, cargo or fluids, has to fit within that number.

GCWR is the combined weight of the vehicle and anything towed behind it. It differs from GVWR in that it includes weight that is carried on a separate axle & frame, The coach doesn't have to carry it all, but it does have to pull and stop it.

they just say E350. If they've used the cutaway van chassis, I think the specs are still acceptable, as it shows a GCWR minimum of 15,000#, going up to a maximum of 18,500#. I think they used the truck chassis.

It's not the van cutaway - it lacks the standard E350 cab. It would use what Ford calls the E350 Stripped Chassis, which comes with no cab at all but includes a steering wheel, pedals and instrument panel. It can be configured with 3 different wheel bases and a variety of options.
http://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/strippedchassis/
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
It's not the van cutaway - it lacks the standard E350 cab. It would use what Ford calls the E350 Stripped Chassis, which comes with no cab at all but includes a steering wheel, pedals and instrument panel. It can be configured with 3 different wheel bases and a variety of options.
http://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/strippedchassis/
Sorry, I believe I misspoke there. I meant either the truck/van/wagon stripped chassis, of course. I was thinking of some of the other class C conversions that I believe have used that chassis, with cab, with reasonable success when building similarly configured small to medium sized class C motorhomes.

Thanks for the info on the GVWR. I did misread that number in the Axis brochure as their RGVW/RGW loaded conversion weight rating. I thought they would have used the E350 with the 14,500# GVWR rating to handle the extra load from the conversion and then the cargo. I have since found some other data that suggests the chassis option they chose actually has a dry weight of just over 10,000#, and then the fluids, people and cargo could take it up to the max GVWR of 12,500#. So, revising my math with the new info, leaves around 2,000# of cargo, with some tongue weight allowance, and if the maximum towing capacity is 18,500# as stated on Thor and Ford's spec sheets, it should pull a small toad or trailer. It won't win any races, but it should do OK, with the larger 6.8L V10, and the 5 speed automatic transmission.
As I said, I have many questions about this unit, still unanswered. 
 
Why guess? Each new motorhome has an actual Unladen Weight and OCCC printed of a sticker inside the coach. It's a US Federal law. They can all be a bit different depending on installed options, but they should be within a few hundred pounds. If you can't visit one near you, surely  a salesman or other RVers wouold look at the sticker and provide the data to you.
 
It's not a guess. I found a review article on the Axis from last year, that was written by an Elkhart based RV industry writer, and he posted a floor plan in the article that suggested it's dry weight is 10,300# (estimated), so I'll assume he's correct, and/or close enough based on variables like equipment and options, as you suggest. His other numbers in the same floor plan diagram seemed to mirror other Ford and Thor numbers that I can find online. So, that would leave around 2200# of total cargo capacity, including all fluids and people and sundries, minus any trailer tongue weight that might be added later. If every fluid container on the Axis were full, it would use around 1200# of that capacity. I expect that my added weight in humanity and cargo wouldn't exceed 500#. Leaves some capacity for extra passengers, or whatever you might also want to take along the way. If it has the 6.8L V10 and 5-speed OD transmission, I think it should do pretty well with both power and fuel economy. More capacity is always desirable, in any motorhome, but the price was controlled by using the lighter weight Ford chassis. The article said the reason Thor went with the E350 over the Sprinter was, it would add $12,000 to the final  price, if they had used the Sprinter instead. I don't think the Sprinter would have added much in the way of capacity, either. After all, it is probably one of the smallest class A RVs being built today.
It all remains to be seen, and no, there aren't any Axis tires to kick anywhere near me right now. There are several dealers who have them on order, but the harsh winter has delayed deliveries all over the northern states, so they all say.
Obviously, it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. It always comes down to what works for your needs in an RV.
 
Hi MDKMDK and Gary,

First I'd like to say that I am happy that Gary chimed in here on this subject. I appreciate and respect his opinion. If you have any other thoughts on this RV Gary, I'd be interested in what you think about it when you have time. The CCC I thought after looking was around 2,000 lbs which I feel is acceptable. You don't have to travel with full tanks and can fill up prior to camping.

I didn't know about the inverter which bothers me a bit. I too would like an option other than running a generator which would be limited at night unless plugged in. I have read from an owner that they had trouble with the slide after purchase. I am wondering if those will be an issue. Last thing you want is not being able to slide the living room out and having crampted spaces.

I am from north central Indiana. About 40 miles away from the factory. I can't offer any advise on price other than they were selling them at an RV Show (where I got to look at one for a while) for 70 K. One other person posted they had seen a price of 65 K but don't know if that is just talk or not. Being close to them would be an advantage if anything went wrong. Total Value RV was the dealer at the show and located in Elkhart. I don't have any experience with this dealer so can't offer advise if I would buy from them or not. They seem good at first impression.

Best!
 
I haven't seen an Axis close up either, so can't offer any observations. Like the rest of you, I'm just reading their website info and Ford chassis specs.

For price reasons, entry level RVs often don't have inverters in their feature list, though sometimes they include a small one to operate the entertainment systems when off-grid. Including an inverter large enough to power most of the galley and convenience outlets also requires more battery capacity to make it usable, so it can easily add a couple thousand $$ to the MSRP as well as consuming a noticeable amount of the weight capacity. For those reasons, the inverter is usually either optional or a dealer-installed add-on.

CamperAl: you need to better focus your thinking re the inverter. What do you want to be able to run without generator, and for how long? Depending on your wants and needs, it may be practical to add an inverter as an aftermarket upgrade. Or not.
 
If a GVWR of 12,500 seems low, imagine if they built it on a Sprinter with its 11,030 GVWR! Wait, that's a Winnebago Via 25T...
 
It's a good discussion of the pros and cons, and to listen to the opinions, suggestions, and practical experience of others.
In the brochure, the Axis offers an optional 2nd auxiliary battery, so I'm guessing there's already room for it somewhere. Depending on what they offer as the primary battery option, I would probably diy the battery bank expansion. I know I can do it cheaper myself, as I've already done it on my current motorhome, and a previous towable. Buying and installing 2 GR24 or GR27 deep cycle AGMs, isn't necessarily that difficult, except that the darn things can weigh anywhere from 50# up each, as Gary says.  I'm not sure of the alternator/generator/converter output, so I have not figured out how long it would take to recharge 2 partially drained 100Ah batteries, but the ones I have now can usually recharge after use in a few hours of driving, using an older (ancient?) 30A converter charger. I would guess the Axis convert/charger is probably more like 45A-55A, but that's another question to be answered. 

As for an inverter, you can pick up a decent 2000W pure sine wave inverter, probably for less than $1,000, or if you're not planning on running any really high tech electronics, you could go with a modified wave inverter for about half the price of pure sine wave. You can source them from lots of places like electronics, automotive, and even some RV shops. They all have sales once in a while. 

I'm not completely certain, memory fails or I didn't see it in my whirlwind tour at the RV Show, but I believe the aux battery compartment is located on the passenger side, just aft or just forward of the door. If it's located aft of the door, you could probably run the heavy inverter cables from the aux batteries, up through the floor and into the galley area, that is also located on the starboard side. If not, it might require some additional planning and math to get the cable sizes correct for the distance traveled, or you might have to locate the inverter to the port side, but it can usually be done with satisfactory results, if you take your time, and read up on it before you start. Some auto-electric or RV shops may be able to do it for you for a price, if that's an easier option.

I'd add the extra battery and a higher capacity inverter to run our coffee maker quietly, or without having to run the generator, or when completely off the grid at a non-serviced campsite or other boondock location.  My coffee maker is a Hamilton Beach with an insulated carafe, that draws around 800W for about 15 minutes of brew time for a full carafe, then shuts off. That would probably be the largest draw an inverter would see in our unit. But, an important one. Caffeine is an important basic food group.

As for the OCCC question, camperAl made the (common sense) point that the number of times you'd be driving around with every fluid tank full would be extremely rare, but it has to be considered as a possibility in the calculation. If you traveled with just the gas (330#), propane (40#), and fresh water tanks (350#) full, it would use  720# of the OCCC. That would leave 1500# or so, for the rest. So, I thought even with the 3 main tanks completely full, there's probably a reasonable amount of excess capacity available, for loading it with humanity and sundries as well.
 
camperAL said:
Hi MDKMDK and Gary,

First I'd like to say that I am happy that Gary chimed in here on this subject. I appreciate and respect his opinion. If you have any other thoughts on this RV Gary, I'd be interested in what you think about it when you have time. The CCC I thought after looking was around 2,000 lbs which I feel is acceptable. You don't have to travel with full tanks and can fill up prior to camping.

I didn't know about the inverter which bothers me a bit. I too would like an option other than running a generator which would be limited at night unless plugged in. I have read from an owner that they had trouble with the slide after purchase. I am wondering if those will be an issue. Last thing you want is not being able to slide the living room out and having crampted spaces.

I am from north central Indiana. About 40 miles away from the factory. I can't offer any advise on price other than they were selling them at an RV Show (where I got to look at one for a while) for 70 K. One other person posted they had seen a price of 65 K but don't know if that is just talk or not. Being close to them would be an advantage if anything went wrong. Total Value RV was the dealer at the show and located in Elkhart. I don't have any experience with this dealer so can't offer advise if I would buy from them or not. They seem good at first impression.

Best!
I may have said the $65K price. It was a "show only" price during the RV show In Novi, MI. I see them online now for as low as US$71,000. Before all the fees, freight, PDI and other add ons, of course. I also asked for and got a US$76,000 OTD price from a dealer in Richmond, Indiana.
 

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